3A Public Hearing 2010 0405 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Urban Habitat 8. Protections for Renters According to a recent study of Bay Area neighborhoods by the Center for Community Innovation and UC Berkeley Planning Professor, Karen Chapple, San Leandro's downtown area is at risk for renter displacement and gentrification. ~ This study confirms what San Leandro residents and COR members already know. Thus, we have had quite a few recommendations on how the city could strengthen protections for its renters. We were very pleased to see the City's commitment to maintaining the Rent Review Board as well as for considering some of our top suggestions for strengthening it. These recommendations include (see Action #56.07-A): • Doing direct, annual language-appropriate outreach to renters about the Board. • Increasing the window in which a renter can request a hearing from 15 days from receipt of a notice from the landlord to 30 days. To further protect renters from unfair rent hikes: • We ask the City reduce the trigger threshold for a hearing from $75 per month in the same year to $50 per month in the same year. The $75 threshold means that a landlord can raise the rent every year by $899 without possibility of mediation at the RR Board. The $50 threshold would allow a tenant whose rent is raised any amount over $600 per year a chance to challenge the increase at the RR Board. • We'd also like to see the RR Board's decisions become binding or have more teeth than it currently does. This can be a change that is phased in over time and should have the chance for public debate. Beyond the commitments to strengthening the Rent Review Board, the Housing Element lays out other policy areas and programs to provide greater protections to renters and affordable housing. We would like to particularly commend the City for planning the following: • Improvements to the Condo Conversion law, including increasing the cost to convert a unit (see Action #56.09-A) and for extending the Condo Conversion law to 2- and 3- unit rental buildings.. (This expanded coverage is particularly important given how many duplexes and 3/4- plexes exist in the City, especially in older neighborhoods downtown and near transit.) • Efforts to prevent the loss of existing affordable housing units (Actions # 56.06- A and B). ~ For more information about her findings, please contact Karen Chapple at chappleti;berkeled~.edu or by phone at (510) 642-1868. 436 1[+"' Street. Suite 1205, Oakland, CA 94612 (510) 839-9510 • Fax: (510) 839-g61o www. urbanhabitat.org